Question on how to handle failures with primers...

[Paleoman]

Hi,

I've been researching into reloading, gone through the Lyman book, am reading ABCs of reloading, watched a pile of videos, and have started to purchase reloading items.

I had a few questions that I'm hoping people could and answer (or point me to sources to read up on this)...

If, during the seating of the primer, it goes in too far, what do you do?
Discard the primer/case?
Can the primer be safely removed?
If removed should it be discarded?

If you have unspent (but unusable) primers, or cases with primers, how do you safely dispose of them?

Thanks in advance, from a soon to be reloader.

 

[bigben111435]

remove the case and primer from priming tool and set aside.
case does not need to be discarded unless disfigured badly/ primer will be discarded
primer can be safely removed with any de-priming tool
do not reuse primer
Most ranges have a box for bad rounds.

 

[greencobra]

the only way a primer is going in too far is if you've used so much force you've crushed it. i don't know if you could really seat a primer in too far as it wouldn't fire.

not recommended but i've removed primers by just by using the decapping die. just take it easy, they'll come out.

 

[MGnoob]

Everyone above is correct...removing a live primer is complete safe.
It might be possible to seat a primer to deep for a perticuary firearm... but i would just assume the firearm is light striking rather the primer being to deep.we are talking .001s of and inch. I wouldnt want a fire arm that was that picky.
Youll see primer seated high or slightly crooked, and primer had have have a tiny bit shaved off during seating. Which can cause slam fires, but i doubt youll see one too deep. I prefer them seated in there deeper than flush.

 

[mac1911]

Put on gloves and eye/ear protection and live primers can be smacked like snap caps.
Think adult snap caps... I generally just put messed up rounds in the dud bucket at the range.
Sometimes I will toss some in the fire when no one is around.

 

[peterthefish]

You won't get a primer in too deep unless you're using a 1050 which uses a mechanical primer depth setting.

I seat my primers more firmly than most (I've sheared the roller handle off my press) and have never seated one too deep.

 

[5 DOLLAR FOOT LONG]

Don't over think things. A primer cant go in too far because the primer pocket has a finite depth. You can apply too much force in seating the primer, in which case you will flatten it slightly, but it will still shoot fine.

The exception is if you're e.g., shooting a revolver and backed out the strain screw to where the firing pin barely hits the primer.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I've never had a primer go in too far. You probably won't either.

 

[AntiHippie]

Put on gloves and eye/ear protection and live primers can be smacked like snap caps.
Think adult snap caps... I generally just put messed up rounds in the dud bucket at the range.
Sometimes I will toss some in the fire when no one is around.

I either use a universal depriming die (slowly while turning my face away because it just seems like the right thing to do) or do exactly as stated above if I have a gun chambered for whatever round it is nearby - throw it in the chamber and fire the primer. Kind of loud in the garage, but it's more amusing and doesn't make me feel as much like I'm wasting a primer.

 

[MGnoob]

Even on a 1050 you can't really seat too deep. The shell plate will simply deflect or the primer will go off.
In theory you should always have glasses on....hearing protection would be up to you. Its not really that loud, but if it went off it may startle you and your not likely going to set it off depriming a live primer..
Primers are more likely to be set off while priming..
On a 1050 for example if the plastic primer feed orfice gets damaged crooked primers can go off, if the orfice completely breaks several primers can get caught in the primer slide and it is possible to set of a chain reaction with enough power to eject all the primers in the tube and the plastic rod that holds them down...possibly hitting the ceiling.only because they're in the tube.

Ask me how i know this.

On a 1050 one common way to set off a primer is to have a case that failed to decap, it is then crushed in the pocket at station 2 by the pocket swage. And at station 3 when it goes to prime the primer will go off or it will apear to be a high primer.. which can jam up the shell plate. Somtime the prime will then fall out and jam stuff up .. or it wil get caught on the corner of the shell plate and go off, or fall int the indexing finger and stop the shellplate from indexing fully, possibly damaging a decapping pin and or setting a primer off.


Edit. Another funny way to set a primer is to be loading large pistol primes and have a mixed in case with a small pistol primer...for example not all .45 cases use the same primer size and hand sorting is a pain and you can screw up am miss 1

 

[NavelOfficer]

Pretty much all of the above...
...the primer cup essentially limits where the primer will seat into any case. Of course, if you push it through the head of the case or crush it with gorilla force, it will be too deep.
If you have a case with a too-deeply-cut primer pocket, you'll seat deeper than with standard, in-spec cases.
If you have a mixed-up batch of primers, you might have a large pistol primer in that .308 Winchester case. I believe the cup on LP primers is shallower than on LR primers, hence deeper seating.

 

[Paleoman]

Thanks so much for the info folks! When I was reading about the whole process, those were the things I was thinking about. Doesn't sound like I'll see too deep of seating in practice, but now I know how t deal with them, if one gets messed up.

I picked up a Dillion XL650 setup for 9mm today, and will set it up over the upcoming week or so (slow and taking time to make sure I do things right). I got a second reloading manual (so I need to read that) and I need to finish the ABCs of reloading book (only a 100 pages in so far). No rush to get things going.

Shooters Outpost in NH didn't have any CCI 500 primers, and suggested the Fiocchi primers. I got Berrys 115 bullets for now. Later on, I may try a bullet more in a defensive load, so I can practice with similar rounds.

They suggested CFE Pistol as an alternative to Power Pistol (said cleaner, but not as high velocity), so I just got one pound. It shows 5.9 grains as max and suggests starting 10% lower to start (which I'll definitely do. No trying the limits as a beginner) It sounds like I'll need to try several brands and see what I like. I might even get Power Pistol, so I can use the recommended on from Lyman's and then later try the CFE pistol.

Looking forward to trying this out!

 

[EddieCoyle]

You picked an excellent press.

 

[NavelOfficer]

Sadly, component availability often makes the choice for you.
There are plenty of suitable powders and brands of primers, so get them while you can, even if they aren't your top pick.

 

[Paleoman]

I started setting up the XL650 today. Have it all mounted, installed the resizing die and the powder bar die. I measured the 9mm case I had and it was .374 inches, so according to the instructions, set the bell to .394 inches. So far so good.

I'm using two cases that I picked up at the range that were not from my gun, for these setup step, so that I don't care if I munge them.

I did have a few more questions related to primers, that I'm wondering about.

For all the cases that I recovered, I had cleaned them with corn husks in a vibrator. When setting up the Dillon, and de-priming, I noticed it's a little dirty (discolored) inside the priming hole (expected). Will that be inconsequential? Should I separately deprime, before cleaning? If so, easiest/quickest way to do that?

Procedure wise, should I inspect the cases, before cleaning (wondering about gas leakage that I've been reading about)?

Lastly, I sorted the cases by brand. They were mostly my cases, although one day, there was a guy shooting next to me at the public range. He left, and didn't sweep up any shells (which is sometimes the case with people). I was picking up my shells and the RO asked me if I wanted them. I emphatically said yes, as they were all very shiny compared to mine. I've been shooting Remmington UMC lately (because I go in on that bicentennial rebate and got 1000 rounds at $5 off per 100!). I checked the headstamp, and the shells he was using were Fiocchi.

In any case, I noticed that two of the shells have green marks around the primer. Any thoughts to as what that is? I didn't think the cases were reloads with green markings, as I would have expected him to reclaim them after shooting. Here's a picture of all the shells I got with those markings:



They're on the bottom right. Just wondering what that is.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh yeah, the Dillon manual says not to deprime the unspent primers. I guess I can use the fire it method...

 

[EddieCoyle]

Don't worry about cleaning the primer pockets.

Inspect after cleaning.

The green stuff is primer sealer. Some ammo has it. Reload the cases normally.

 

[Fixxah]

Eventually you will get a single stage press and de-cap all brass pn it with a universal de-capping die. Then there's nothing to worry about when it comes to removing live primers.

I have a container with completed rounds in which the primer didn't seat fully and is protruding slightly from the case. Don't even think about trying to force the primer into a live round. It may not end well for you.

 

[Paleoman]

Don't worry about cleaning the primer pockets.

Inspect after cleaning.

The green stuff is primer sealer. Some ammo has it. Reload the cases normally.

Thanks! Makes it easier to just clean and then sort/inspect. Glad to know what the green stuff is.


sent from my phone.

 

[swampy]

Eventually you will get a single stage press and de-cap all brass pn it with a universal de-capping die. Then there's nothing to worry about when it comes to removing live primers.

I have a container with completed rounds in which the primer didn't seat fully and is protruding slightly from the case. Don't even think about trying to force the primer into a live round. It may not end well for you.

I reseat primers all the time. Most primers that fail to detonate aren't seated deep enough.

 

[Paleoman]

I reseat primers all the time. Most primers that fail to detonate aren't seated deep enough.

Fixxah is talking about completed rounds. In that case would one use a bullet puller and then repeat the primer (and check the process frequently at the start to ensure seating is right)?

sent from my phone.

 

[swampy]

Fixxah is talking about completed rounds. In that case would one use a bullet puller and then repeat the primer (and check the process frequently at the start to ensure seating is right)?

sent from my phone.

Naw. If a primer looks high I'll drop it in the handheld and give it a squeeze...on loaded ammo. Gingerly but yah, done it. Sometimes for whatever reason a primer doesn't get seated fully. Because of a short stroke on the press or whatever it happens. I reseated a whole box of Winchester white box .38sp that didn't work right fresh out of walmart and all worked fine afterwards.

 

[Paleoman]

OK. As a beginner at reloading, it's not something I'm willing to try. I'll want to do things in the safest way possible.

 

[Fixxah]

OK. As a beginner at reloading, it's not something I'm willing to try. I'll want to do things in the safest way possible.

Don't press the primer on a loaded round. The first time you get one that goes of in the press when priming an empty, imagine what a live round will do. The case will most likely be shredded and may imbed itself in your face/neck. (Like a Takata airbag) You will learn the safest way quickly. It is best to learn from other's mistakes.